Nemanja Matić

Serbian international Matic is a tall and strong central midfielder currently playing for Portuguese outfit SL Benfica. As a youth team player he played in the ranks of both Partizan and Red Star Belgrade before making his professional debut with FK Kolubara. After two years in Slovakia with MFK Kosice he caught the eye of Chelsea scouts where he stayed between 2009-2011; taking in a loan spell at Dutch outfit Vitesse Arnhem before moving to Benfica as part of the deal that saw David Luiz arrive in London.

The Guardian has released its top 100 list of the world’s best current male footballers, selected by a 169-strong panel of experts from 63 countries led by 27 former internationals. Seven Manchester United players made the cut.

It was the cartoon, published on the Daily Telegraph website a few years ago, that probably demonstrated the perception at the time that the man in charge of Manchester United’s transfer business was straying dangerously close to getting the reputation of being a bit of a pushover.

Opinion has been divided on the wisdom of Chelsea selling Nemanja Matic to Manchester United for £40m. There are those who say top teams, especially defending champions, should never sell to direct rivals, and those who believe the money was too good to refuse down for a player who has just turned 29.

The Guardian has released its top 100 list of the world’s best current male footballers, selected by a 169-strong panel of experts from 63 countries led by 27 former internationals. Seven Manchester United players made the cut.